Hospitals in Bucks County
Our Bucks County hospitals are among the best in the Philadelphia region, and some are rated among the best in the country. These top-notch healthcare facilities are part of the BCHIP partnership, collaborating with us and other healthcare and advocacy groups in our area to continually improve access to the best health services for the residents of Bucks County.
Grand View Hospital was Bucks County’s very first hospital, founded in 1913 by local doctors who were concerned about the future of medical care in the Bucks and Montgomery County areas. Their foresight has grown into one of the premier health systems in our area, providing a full range of medical services.
For more than 20 years, Grand View has partnered with Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to establish CHOP Newborn & Pediatric Care at Grand View Health, providing neonatal and pediatric expertise for newborns, complicated births, C-sections, and our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
Augmenting their advanced medical services further, Grand View Health recently joined forces with Penn Medicine as part of their Penn Cancer Network, Penn Medicine Orthopedic Surgery, and Penn Trauma Network.
Doylestown Hospital was founded in 1923. Since then, Doylestown Hospital has become a premier area hospital for its state-of-the-art services, and last year, on its 100-year birthday, Doylestown became a teaching hospital, welcoming its first class of family medicine resident physicians.
Doylestown offers the most advanced technology for early lung cancer screening and diagnosis in the region and is a destination hospital for the highest level of heart and vascular care, offering the newest advances in technology and surgical options. It is one of only two hospitals in PA and 33 in the nation to earn Primary Heart Attack Center certification.
Jefferson Bucks Hospital is one of the newer hospitals in our region, established in 1999 in Langhorne, providing leading-edge treatment in a home-like atmosphere. Jefferson Bucks maintains a large network of primary care physicians who focus on preventative health and wellness services. Jefferson Bucks is associated with Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia through the Jefferson Health Network.
Lower Bucks Hospital, located in historic Bristol, was founded in 1954 by a grassroots movement of local residents. This highly respected community hospital serves the Lower Bucks County region with medical, surgical, and emergency care. Lower Bucks has had a well-respected residency program since 2016, training more than 45 residents each year for internal medicine, family medicine, and podiatry. Lower Bucks Hospital offers patients the unique ability to schedule their ER visits to decrease long wait times and expedite care.
St. Luke’s Hospital Upper Bucks is part of the St. Luke’s Health System, founded in 1872 in Bethlehem as community care for the Bethlehem Steel workers and other Bethlehem residents. Since then, St. Luke’s University Health Network has grown to 15 campuses, the region’s first medical school campus, the nation’s oldest operating nursing school, and the largest hospital-based EMS service in Pennsylvania. St. Luke’s was the first hospital in PA to offer robotic surgery and is designated a Level I Trauma Center.
St. Luke’s opened its Upper Bucks Campus in 2019, bringing all that expertise and quality to Bucks County, north of Quakertown. The Upper Bucks Campus offers spacious private rooms, critical care, surgical services, a large emergency room, a state-of-the-art Interventional Radiology Lab, a Women & Babies Pavilion, and a Cancer Center.
St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne joined with several other area hospitals in 2018 to form Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, the largest Catholic healthcare system serving the Greater Philadelphia region. Originally founded in 1860 by the Sisters of St. Francis, St. Mary moved from Philadelphia to Langhorne in 1973 and became a trusted hospital for cutting-edge medicine infused with compassionate care.
St. Mary is one of the largest hospitals in Bucks County, with 373 beds and a long history of providing top-level care for generations. Recipient of the “America’s 100 Best Hospitals Award” for three consecutive years, St. Mary offers advanced non-invasive treatments, adult and pediatric emergency services, and inpatient medical and rehabilitation facilities, along with supportive health and wellness programs.
Healthy Aging in Bucks County: How BCHIP Supports Seniors
BCHIP is focused on ensuring that our Bucks County seniors receive the highest-quality healthcare available so they can live their lives to the fullest. We are not only making sure that our current seniors have the care they need but are also focused on expanding our services to meet the needs of our growing senior population in the decades to come.
Advanced care planning
Advanced care planning is often referred to as a living will. In this document, you indicate in writing your wishes regarding key healthcare decisions you would like made, in the event that you are unable to speak for yourself. You choose a medical power of attorney to carry out those decisions, such as what life-sustaining care you would or would not like; whether or not you want to donate your tissues or organs; and instructions regarding moral, religious, or ethical considerations.
Creating a living will can seem overwhelming, which leads many people to postpone it indefinitely. But BCHIP offers a template document and free consultation to help walk you through each of the items that you need to consider. You can schedule an appointment with one of our trained facilitators by calling (267) 291-7882.
Long-term care partnership
BCHIP worked in conjunction with the Bucks County Commissioners, Bucks County Health Department, Bucks County Emergency Services, all Bucks County hospitals, and our long-term care facility partners to create the Bucks County Long Term Care Partnership during COVID, with an eye to the future.
Our goal is to develop cooperation and coordination among a wide variety of organizations that offer services to our senior, disabled, and convalescing residents in order to expedite transfers and streamline care so that all our Bucks County residents receive the health services they need, when they need them, at the highest quality of medical service available.
Homebound vaccines
Many seniors and disabled residents of our county find it difficult to receive vaccinations on a timely basis due to limited mobility or lack of transportation. BCHIP has partnered with Eric’s RX Shoppe to provide our homebound residents with home-based vaccine service.
Once you have determined your vaccination needs, contact us to schedule your appointment; you can call (267) 291-7882 or email rconnor@bchip.org when you are ready to schedule. Insurance is required for home vaccine appointments. If you are unsure whether you are covered, contact your insurance company.
Partnerships with hospitals
Bucks County’s hospitals are cornerstones among our BCHIP team of collaborators and are involved in almost all our endeavors in some capacity. For instance, our hospitals are key members of our long-term care partnership; work with our BCHIP Wellness Partnership to provide health education, promotion, and screening activities; and are vital allies in our Building Community Partnership, which bridges healthcare case managers with community partner agencies to improve coordination of patient care upon discharge.
BCHIP strives continually to improve care for all our residents, including our seniors. If you have any questions, needs, or ideas, please contact us. Input from our residents helps us target needs more accurately and serve our residents more fully.
The Role of Bucks County Hospitals in Community Health Improvement
Bucks County hospitals are critical partners in BCHIP’s goal to create a community in which all our citizens experience the highest quality healthcare services. Hospitals play an important part in most of our initiatives and programs and they work with BCHIP to continually develop a coordinated approach to address challenges and fill in gaps in healthcare services.
BCARES (Bucks County Connect. Assess. Refer. Engage. Support), is a warm handoff collaboration with the six Bucks County hospitals and an assigned Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) to serve individuals who have survived an opioid overdose. The hospitals coordinate with the CRS and other service organizations to provide survivors and their families with recovery support, education, resources, and a direct connection from the emergency department to treatment.
Our Long Term Care Partnership is working in collaboration with hospitals, long-term care facilities, rehab centers, home care and hospice agencies, and other organizations that serve elderly and disabled people to ensure that every resident of Bucks County, regardless of age or physical condition, receives the care he or she deserves in order to live a full and happy life.
The Bucks County Immunization Coalition promotes vaccine awareness and collaborates with hospitals to encourage patients who are not fully vaccinated to receive the vaccines that will provide the most protection.
Our Quit Smoking Program regularly holds meetings at local hospitals for our in-person meeting option.
Hospitals are important partners in a number of our other initiatives, either by providing services or sharing in the brainstorming and collaboration to develop goals and to build partner networks to achieve these goals. Some of these initiatives include:
- BCHIP Wellness Partnership – provides health education, promotion, and screening activities
- Building Community Partners – bridges healthcare case managers with community partner agencies to improve coordination of patient care upon discharge
- PA-Navigate (FindHelp) Committee – develops best practices to improve coordination of care across health systems and agencies
- Advance Care Planning Task Force – provides an opportunity of collaboration between hospitals and community representatives to promote understanding of and preparation for advanced care and sharing of medical records among a patient’s medical providers
- Violence in Healthcare Task Force – develops best practices and identifies resources to prevent violence in the healthcare setting and supports those who have experienced acts of violence
BCHIP partner organizations not only recognize our current needs for our existing population but are actively engaged in developing long-term plans for our future population. Projections for Bucks County indicate that the median age will continue to increase, indicating an aging population, which creates a sense of urgency around healthcare initiatives, especially long-term care initiatives and coordination of medical services. Our Bucks County hospitals are powerful allies in our work:
Substance Abuse Support in Bucks County
Substance abuse is a very serious issue throughout the United States, and BCHIP and its partners are committed to combatting it in Bucks County through enhanced health services, recovery services, and prevention education.
BCDAC: The mission of the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission (BCDAC) is to eliminate the use of illegal drugs, reduce the use of tobacco, and end the abuse of, misuse of, and addiction to alcohol and other drugs throughout Bucks County. To fulfill its mission, BCDAC is a close partner in many of the prevention, treatment, and recovery services offered in Bucks County to help people break free of substance abuse and prevent further abuse.
Take Back Days: BCDAC partners with hospitals, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers to offer several days each year for the safe collection and disposal of pharmaceuticals and sharps in order to keep them out of circulation and out of the hands of potential abusers. A number of medical collection boxes are situated throughout Bucks County where you can safely dispose of unused medications year-round.
Narcan: BCDAC supplies Narcan to first responders, schools, and community members as a first line of defense for a suspected opioid overdose. If you have a loved one with a history of substance abuse, having Narcan available may save your loved one’s life. BCDAC also provides community Narcan use training sessions.
BCARES: BCARES stands for “Bucks County Connect. Assess. Refer. Engage. Support.” BCARES collaborates with the six Bucks County hospitals to provide a warm handoff to a Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) for individuals who have survived an opioid overdose. The hospitals coordinate with the CRS and other service organizations to provide survivors and their families with recovery support, education, resources, and a direct connection from the emergency department to treatment. It is available 24/7 in the hospitals.
NAMI: NAMI was started in Bucks County in 1983 by a mother who felt she did not get the support she needed when her son was diagnosed with a mental health disorder. The program quickly spread throughout the country and is now a national organization, supporting all forms of mental health issues, including those associated with addiction. NAMI Bucks offers a variety of services to families, individuals, the community, and local mental health providers, including a hotline for those in distress, support groups for specific needs, youth programs, and education programs.
Education programs: Many hospitals and healthcare services provide education to the community to help prevent substance abuse, whether it be drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. This includes educating pregnant women on the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse for their babies; the Vaping Prevention Campaign to educate adults and children about the dangers of vaping; the BCHIP Wellness Partnership that collaborates with Bucks County hospitals to provide health education, promotion, and screening activities; BCDAC’s in-prison programs to help incarcerated people to break the cycle of substance abuse, which is a problem for many imprisoned individuals.
Hotlines for help
Local, regional, and national hotlines are available for substance abuse and mental health crises.
For urgent, crisis situations for mental health or overdose:
- Call Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 any time, 24/7
- Call Bucks County Crisis Center at Lenape Valley Foundation: 1-800-499-7455 any time, 24/7 – includes dispatching crisis teams or medical assistance
- Text NAMI to 741741 any time, 24/7
- Call NAMI Bucks County Helpline: 1-866-399-NAMI (6264) from 10am-10pm
If you are not in crisis but need help:
- Call PA Get Help NOW Hotline: 1-800-662-4357 (1-800-662-HELP), available 24/7 – offers services for those struggling with addiction and related issues and their families.
- Call the NAMI warm-line, 215-343-3055 from 3pm-10pm, to speak to a trained professional who offers a listening ear and helps callers feel empowered to make necessary changes. Resources are offered if the caller requests help.
- Find help for any needs through PA-navigate.org. This includes food, housing, medical care, transportation, legal help, job search, and more.
No one in Bucks County should ever feel alone or without the help they need. This is the shared goal of BCHIP, BCDAC, NAMI, and every hospital and medical care provider in our county. Please reach out to any of us for resources so that you get the help that you need.
Great American Smokeout
If you’ve been thinking about quitting the nicotine habit, the Great American Smokeout is a great day to begin.
Quitting isn’t easy. Nicotine is not the only physically addictive chemical in cigarettes—tobacco contains a range of addictive chemical compounds, and depending on your brand, there could be other additives that are adding to your addiction. But besides the physical addiction, there are also emotional and behavioral habits that need to be addressed in order to successfully overcome an addiction to cigarette smoking or other use of tobacco. Overcoming these obstacles requires a powerful incentive, a clear plan, and a great deal of support. This is the purpose of the Great American Smokeout.
Held every year on the third Thursday of November, The Great American Smokeout was started almost 50 years ago to give people an incentive to overcome their tobacco habit. The Smokeout event draws attention to the serious health effects of smoking and gives people a date to make a plan to quit or to begin a smoking cessation program.
Getting help to quit
Research shows that people who want to quit smoking are more successful when they utilize a support system, such as BCHIP’s Quit Smoking Program. Our FREE program, which consists of five weekly sessions, offers education, tools, and emotional support to those who are trying to kick the habit. You can attend as often as you feel you need the help. Both virtual and in-person sessions are offered in order to make it as easy as possible for people to attend. Additional help is available through the PA Quit Line, 1-800-QUITNOW, for one-on-one, over-the-phone nicotine dependence counseling.
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is also available for those who qualify. NRT supplies a low dose of nicotine to cut down on cravings and lessen the physical withdrawal symptoms, making it easier to quit. NRT is especially helpful for heavy smokers, who would experience more severe withdrawal symptoms than those who smoke less. Gum and patches seem to work well, but it also comes in other forms, including lozenges and inhalers. You should discuss with your doctor your desire to quit smoking to determine if NRT would be helpful for you and in what form.
Making a plan to quit
There are many different reasons that people smoke, and there are many different reasons why people want to quit. The first step to quitting is determining your very strong “why.” If it’s not very strong, it will be difficult to continue when the process of quitting becomes uncomfortable.
Common reasons to quit:
- Health: Smoking harms virtually every organ in the body; can cause lung cancer, COPD, tooth loss, and blindness; damages blood vessels; and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Appearance: Smoking discolors teeth, speeds aging, increases wrinkles, and makes your breath and clothes smell.
- Family: Many people choose not to smoke for the people they love. For instance, they might want to protect their children from secondhand smoke and from giving them an example of a bad habit.
- Finances: Smoking is expensive, especially if you smoke a lot, and medical bills for health problems caused by smoking are very expensive.
Whatever your “why” is, make it clear. Tell your family and friends and post a note on your bathroom mirror in the morning, so it’s the first thing you see every day.
Next, prepare to quit by removing all smoking-related items around your house, in your car, and where you work. If you can, start smoking less so that quitting will be a little less uncomfortable in the beginning. Stock up on oral substitutes, such as sugarless gum, carrot sticks, or some other healthy alternative to putting a cigarette (cigar, chewing tobacco, etc.) in your mouth.
As previously mentioned, there are emotional and behavioral habits that you’ll also need to address. For instance, if you have friends with whom you generally smoke, let them know you’re quitting and ask them to support you. If it is possible for them to not smoke around you, great. If not, let them know you will be seeing them after you have successfully quit, which may be a while. If there are places you frequent where you habitually smoke or where others often smoke, it is best to stop going there. This can be very challenging, so remind yourself of your strong “why,” let people know if necessary, and avoid those locations.
If smoking is something you do when you’re nervous or stressed, it’s time to come up with a healthier way to destress. Smoking support can really help with this because a counselor and the other attendants who are quitting can give you some great tips and the moral support you need to make the changes in your life that will help you succeed in quitting.
Don’t try to quit alone. Join a quitting cessation program, such as our BCHIP Quit Smoking Program, to make this year the beginning of a smoke-free, healthy life! Visit bchip.org/quit-smoking-programs, call (267) 291-7882, or click here to register.
Supporting a Family Member in Crisis
If you have a family member in crisis, whether that be a mental health issue, an addiction problem, housing, abuse, or any other crisis, Bucks County and the wider community have resources to help. Neither you nor your loved one has to go it alone. We will support you and help your loved one through the crisis.
Mental health crises
Mental and emotional health problems are unfortunately on the rise; however, this has had at least one positive effect in that the issue is less stigmatized now. There has been an increase in awareness and a change in conversation. People are much more likely to respond with compassion and want to help. It also means that there are many more resources to help people in mental health crises than there were in the past.
Below is a list of just some of the options:
- Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 988 any time, 24/7 from anywhere in the country for access to trained personnel who can talk people through their crisis and connect them with local agencies that can provide immediate help.
- NAMI Bucks County: NAMI was started in Bucks County in 1983 by a mother to support other parents whose children were diagnosed with mental illness. It has since gone national and offers a wide range of services for both families and affected individuals, including support groups, education, and youth programs, as well as:
- a HelpLine, (866) 399-NAMI (6264) from 10am-10pm
- an Emotional Support Warmline, (215) 353-3055 (press 1) from 3pm-10pm daily
- help by text—text NAMI to 741741 any time, 24/7.
- Lenape Valley Foundation Crisis Services: They offer mobile services and walk-in crisis services at a variety of locations. Call (800) 499-7455 any time, 24/7.
Addiction crises
Bucks County, the state, and the federal government all provide hotlines and websites to help people dealing with addiction. Here is a short list of resources:
- Call PA Get Help NOW Hotline: (800) 662-4357 (1-800-662-HELP), available 24/7
- Reach out to BCARES: Bucks County Connect. Assess. Refer. Engage. Support (BCARES) is a warm handoff collaboration with the six Bucks County hospitals and an assigned Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) to serve individuals who have survived an opioid overdose.
- Call BCDAC at (215) 444-2700 for local resources and information, M-F 8:30am-4:30pm
- Narcan is distributed at various locations throughout the county FREE of charge or it can be ordered online; BCDAC has a Narcan page on their website that provides a list of locations to get Narcan and free training on how to use it properly.
Other crises
For local support for a wide variety of needs, visit findhelp.org. Enter your zip code and you will discover an extensive list of resources for whatever needs you may have: food, housing, goods, transit, health, finances, care, education, work, and legal. This is a national help website; any zip code entered will bring up local resources.
At BCHIP, we are committed to providing you with the support that you and your loved ones need, regardless of the type of crisis. You are not alone. Reach out for help.
Careers in Healthcare: Get the Training You Need
The job market is tightening and many people are finding it difficult to find a job in their current career. Maybe it’s time for a career pivot. BCHIP has secured a Direct Care Worker Grant to help those already in healthcare and those new to the field receive the training they need.
BCHIP was one of only eight healthcare organizations chosen out of the many who applied to secure a Direct Care Worker Grant from the state. This grant supplies $600,000 for Bucks County to fund training for people to become certified nursing assistants (CNAs) or receive on-the-job training as a personal care assistant or home health aide. It also allows medical entities such as hospitals, nursing homes, and home health agencies to offer additional training to strengthen the services they provide their patients, such as training in dementia care.
In addition to covering the costs of education, the grant offers up to a $1,000 stipend if needed for supportive services, such as child care, transportation, or purchase of items necessary for the training, such as scrubs or a computer.
BCHIP is committed to helping all people of Bucks County experience the very best in health care. Increasing the number of well-trained healthcare workers not only helps patients, it helps the families of those who provide the care by providing a financially and emotionally rewarding career with opportunities for growth.
If you are already working in healthcare and you would like to take your career to the next level or pivot into a different area of healthcare, please visit your Human Resources department and ask to apply for the Direct Care Worker Grant.
If you are looking to enter the healthcare workplace, you can also apply for the grant directly. Please visit www.careerreadybucks.org or www.buckscounty.gov to apply.
Find Help Through PA Navigate
If you or a loved one needs help, there are many resources in Bucks County to turn to. However, many people feel lost, because they don’t know how to find the help they need. PA-navigate.org to the rescue!
PA-navigate.org is an online searchable website similar to the Yellow Pages for health and human services organizations. Previously known as findhelp.org, the state of Pennsylvania wanted to create a PA branding so that all citizens of Pennsylvania would recognize it as a PA resource. Findhelp.org still exists, and whether you access pa-navigate.org or findhelp.org, you can get resources from any state in the U.S., not just Pennsylvania. So visitors to the site can search for loved ones outside the state as well.
No matter what your needs, you will find it on PA Navigate. No one in Bucks County should ever go hungry or have to live on the streets. We have many services available through a broad, county-wide network. BCHIP is also working to make all the hospitals in Bucks County aware of the resource and to utilize the PA Navigate database as a standard part of patient care policy. Any patient who expresses needs outside of the hospital – from food insecurity to spousal abuse to wanting to quit smoking or lose weight – the hospital personnel will turn to the PA Navigate portal and find the help the patient needs.
PA Navigate is extremely easy to use. Simply enter your zip code and choose from the many services available in the following categories: food, housing, goods, transit, health, money, care, education, work, and legal. You will see a thorough list of all free and reduced-price programs available. If any program has eligibility criteria, that information will be included so you will know how to apply.
PA Navigate is extremely detailed and thorough. For instance, if you clicked on “Food,” you’d see dozens of options listed under various categories, such as:
- Emergency Food
- Food Delivery
- Food Pantry
- Help Pay for Food
- Meals
- Nutrition Education
If you clicked on “Food Delivery” you’d see the various resources, what services they offer, and their locations and contact information. No one in Bucks County should ever go hungry.
If, however, you had issues regarding work, you could click on the “Work” tab and read the options:
- Help Find Work
- Help Pay for Work Expenses
- Skills & Training
- Supported Employment
- Workplace Rights
Click on “Skills and Training” and you will receive even more options, such as:
- Basic literacy
- Computer class
- GED/high school equivalency
- Interview training
- Resume development
- Skills assessment
- Specialized training
Once you choose from this list, for instance, GED, you will see a detailed list of the programs, their descriptions, locations, distance from you, and contact information.
If you are a health and human resources provider, you can add, update, or expand your listing on pa-navigator.org by contacting Samantha Herrera. Our goal is to make sure that all local services are listed accurately and are kept up-to-date so that anyone in need can receive the services they require.
Blue Zones in Bucks County
BCHIP has partnered with State Senator Steve Santarsiero of the 10th district and the organization Blue Zones to help improve the health, longevity, and happiness of the residents of Bucks County. The Blue Zones organization is rooted in the research done by National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, who examined areas around the world where people seemed to live happier, longer lives. Drawing from his research, he wrote several books on these regions, which he named blue zones.
Blue Zones’ mission is to recreate these healthier regions all over the United States. They have led initiatives throughout the country, and now BCHIP and Sen. Santarsiero, with the help of a state grant, have asked them to begin working in Bucks County.
The first phase of the Blue Zones process is called the Ignite phase, thus the current initiative is called Blue Zones Ignite Bucks Area. In this phase, Blue Zones representatives assess the current state of well-being in the Bucks area (primarily the 10th district at this point) through engagement and education with local leaders and community members, which will generate recommendations for a full-scale transformation of the region.
Blue Zones has successfully transformed communities in states as diverse as Minnesota, California, and Iowa. Their projects build upon nine lifestyle behaviors that are found in the blue zones around the world:
- Move naturally: Rather than going to a gym, in most of the blue zones, people work with their bodies, whether by walking, gardening, or doing yard work without modern machinery.
- Have a purpose: Knowing one’s sense of purpose can add up to seven years to one’s life.
- Downshift: While stress is found everywhere, those in blue zones have less stress and know how to downshift out of it when it comes.
- 80% rule: Most people in the blue zones stop eating before they feel full – essentially when their bellies are 80% full.
- Plant slant: Meat is not the largest portion of food for most centenarians in the blue zones. A variety of beans tends to take center stage.
- Moderate wine consumption: In most blue zones, people drink wine moderately and regularly, 1-2 glasses per evening, with friends and/or with food. They do not binge drink.
- Belong: 98% of the 263 centenarians interviewed belonged to a faith-based community. Research shows that attending faith-based services four times per month can add 4-14 years to your life.
- Put loved ones first: Parents invest their time and love in their children, and their children in turn care for them in their old age, with parents often living in the home with the younger family members.
- Have the right tribe: The longest-lived people surround themselves with people who make positive life choices, and they often keep the same friends for most of their lives.
BCHIP is excited to partner with Blue Zones as they begin evaluating how to encourage these healthy life choices and what changes should be made to our infrastructure to encourage more natural movement through beautiful Bucks County.
Long-Term Care Partnership for the Present and the Future
Our Bucks County population is aging. In order to provide our older residents with the finest medical care and support, we need to ensure that our senior services have sufficient capacity to provide the care our Bucks County residents will need.
According to 2023 census data, 21% of the Bucks County population is already 65 or older, and our median age is 44 years old. This tells us two things:
- We need to act immediately to ensure there is sufficient high-quality care for our current senior citizens.
- Over the next 20 years, half of our current population will be entering their senior years and we will need a significant increase in resources to provide for them.
BCHIP is taking action to ensure that we are fulfilling both of these goals. BCHIP worked in conjunction with the Bucks County Commissioners, Bucks County Health Department, Bucks County Emergency Services, all Bucks County hospitals, and our long-term care facility partners to create the Bucks County Long-Term Care Partnership during COVID, with an eye to the future.
Our purpose is to bring together in a non-competitive atmosphere the many long-term care facilities, nursing homes, rehab centers, home health services, respite and hospice agencies, and other services that provide long-term care or services to seniors. Together we can obtain a wide range of input from agencies and organizations that provide different services to seniors but whose activities intersect and affect each other. Brainstorming can lead to solutions that will help us grow together into the future.
Recently, the Long-Term Care Partnership sponsored a seminar with experts focusing specifically on employment, staffing, and education. The presentations encouraged discussion around issues of improved compensation, housing and childcare, specialized education, and the use of technology to match caregivers with job opportunities.
Another important aspect of the seminar focused on supporting family caregivers. Loved ones are usually not trained in caring for ill or frail elderly people or those suffering from cognitive decline. Family can feel inadequate, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to help their senior loved one. Many cannot afford home health services but also can’t afford to quit work and care for a loved one full-time. Steps need to be taken to provide families with the resources and education to care for loved ones at home if that is a safe alternative.
The slide presentation, video, and resource list from our Long-Term Care Summit of June 21, 2024, are available on our website, bchip.org/long-term-care-partnership, for anyone who wishes to learn more. BCHIP and our partners are committed to making Bucks County’s senior care services the best available. Contact us for more information or to have your organization join our partnership.
